I am eager to preach this Sunday, Father’s Day, at Hope Fellowship Church as a new Teaching Elder/Pastor. God has blessed greatly over the past few years and I am excited to finally reach the point of preaching to a congregation that we will call our home church and our church family. God truly is good. He has blessed Jamie and me far more than we dreamed at this point in our life.

The theme of God’s goodness will be the focus of Sunday’s message. As we embark on this new chapter, it is important for us as a church family to pause and reflect on God’s goodness. This reflection upon God’s goodness ought to drive us to extol his name. This Sunday, I hope you will come ready praise God’s “wondrous works in the children of man” (v. 8)! Extol Him!

Psalm 107:1-2

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble

Psalm 107:32

Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

The word EXTOL comes from a primitive root meaning:

“to be high or exalted, rise”

It can also carry the meaning to “become proud” or to “boldly proclaim”

This is what we as redeemed creatures ought to do. This is our natural response to God’s goodness in our lives. We ought to extol His good name.

Like this:

Speaking of false religions and their pursuit of deity and more specifically the Ancient Near Eastern version of religion surrounding and excluding the nation of Israel:

“The divine, in its multiple, personalized presentations, was above all considered to be something grandiose, inaccessible, dominating, and to be feared.” He observes that the gods were not the object of enthusiastic pursuit. The people sought the gods for protection and assistance, not for relationship. “One submitted to them, one feared them, one bowed down and trembled before them: one did not ‘love’ or ‘like’ them.”

John H. Walton. Ancient near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible.

I am excited about preaching at HFC again this Sunday (4/26/15). Here are a few of the themes we will cover on Sunday morning’s message.

2 Samuel 9

Quoted from David: A Man of Passion and Destiny by Charles Swindoll

8 Analogies of Grace

1. Once Mephibosheth had enjoyed fellowship with his father, and so had humanity in the Garden of Eden.

2. When disaster struck, fear came, and Mephibosheth suffered a fall that crippled him for the rest of his life. Similarly, when sin came, humanity suffered a fall, which has forever left us spiritually crippled.

3. Out of unconditioonal love for his friend Jonathan, David sought anyone to whom he might extend his grace. God, because of His unconditional love for His Son and acceptance of His Son’s death on the cross, continues to seek anyone to whom He might extend His grace.

4. The crippled man was destitute and undeserving. All he could do was accept the king’s favor. So, also, we sinners are undeserving and without hope. In no way are we worthy of our King’s favor. All we can do is humbly and gratefully accept it.

5. The king took the crippled Mephibosheth from a barren wasteland and seated him at the royal banquet table in the palace. God, our Father, has rescued us from a moral wasteland and seated us in a place of spiritual nourishment and intimacy.

6. David adopted Mephibosheth into his royal family, providing him with every blessing within the palace. We also have been adopted into a family–God’s family. And He gives us full privileges within His household.

7. Mephibosheth’s limp was a constant reminder of David’s grace. So also, our moral feebleness keeps us from ever forgetting that were sin abounds, grace abounds that much more.

8. When Mephibosheth sat at the king’s table, he was treated with the same respect as David’s own sons. When we one day attend the great wedding feast of the Lamb, the same will be true for us. We will sit with prophets and priests, apostles and evangelists, pastors and missionaries. We will dine with everyone from the apostle Peter to Corrie ten Boom. And we will be there with them because that same tablecloth of grace covers all our feet.

The Twelve Days of Christmas is a classic but we often forget to think about what in the world the song is talking about? The song is so ridiculously outlandish and absurd that many say if one were to actually receive all the gifts given to them it would cost them a small fortune. PNC banking group has taken the song and used it as a tool to teach economics, rules of inflation, and money management. According to them in 2014, A Partridge in a Pear Tree costs $207.68 (+3.8%). Check it out. It is quite an entertaining website.

If you are like me you often ask the question why? Who wrote this song and why?

Historical information

The Twelve Days of Christmas was originally written in order to teach children Christian doctrine. According to legend it was used during times of persecution when open practice of faith was forbidden.

“From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.” – gotthebible.com

So the song was written as a “secret code” to teach Christian truths to children.

Symbols

The actual 12 days represent the days between Christmas on December 25th and Epiphany on January 6th. Epiphany was the traditional celebration commemorating the arrival of the Wise Men. Yes, those wise men in the nativity scenes didn’t actually show up till years later. However, it helps to add a little diversity into our nativity scenes by including them and their camels.

These gifts that are given on each day are not particularly representative of anything in their choice but rather in their number. Most people believe the birds, rings, and animals are nothing more than memory tricks to help with the numbers that represent Christian doctrines. But the act of giving a gift is a solid Christmas gift in that Jesus Christ is the ultimate gift from God to save humanity. So hopefully this will shed new light on our misinterpretation of this seemingly “silly” song.

GIFTS

WHAT THEY REPRESENT

Partridge in a pear tree

Jesus Christ, who died on a tree for our sins

Two turtledoves

The Old and New Testaments

Three French hens

Faith, hope, and love(the three abiding virtues according to I Cor. 13) or the three Wise Men

Like this:

I am learning a lot about Christian liberty lately from my study in I Corinthians. I have complied a few thoughts, verses, and lyrics that have got me thinking over the past few weeks. Hope they will get you thinking as well.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary speaking of I Corinthians 10:23-33

Note: The welfare of others, as well as our own convenience, must be consulted in many things we do, if we would do them well.

II. He tells them that what was sold in the shambles they might eat without asking questions. The priest’s share of heathen sacrifices was thus frequently offered for sale, after it had been offered in the temple. Now the apostle tells them they need not be so scrupulous as to ask the butcher in the market whether the meat he sold had been offered to an idol? It was there sold as common food, and as such might be bought and used; for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof (v. 26), and the fruit and products of the earth were designed by him, the great proprietor, for the use and subsistence of mankind, and more especially of his own children and servants. Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer, 1 Tim. 4:4, 5. To the pure all things are pure, Tit. 1:15. Note, Though it is sinful to use any food in an idolatrous manner, it is no sin, after such abuse, to apply it, in a holy manner, to its common use.

Like this:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ– by Grace you have been saved-– and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:4-6

So God…

Loved us

Saved us

Raised us

But why?

Have you ever thought about that?

Why did God go through all the trouble to stick with us good for nothing mess-ups?! Well, the answer is found in verse 7 and also in Psalm 67:2

WHY:

So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7

that your way may be known on earth,

your saving power among all nations. Psalm 67:2

The answer isn’t as fuzzy feely as you might have hoped.

God saved us to promote his own grace and kindness.

God saved us to show his saving power to everyone everywhere.

God saved us to glorify himself.

At first, I had a hard time coming to grips with this megalomaniac I was reading about here. But it all started to make sense to me through the following illustration that just popped into my brain the other day.

It’s the 4th quarter, it’s the last 10 seconds, it’s the last shot to win the game. Who do you want taking that shot? I would want my best player taking that shot. I would want the best player in the world taking that shot.

It’s a penalty kick in the 93rd minute of the game. It’s tied 1-1. You make this penalty kick and you win the game. Who do you want taking that kick? The best player, obviously.

For me this whole idea becomes very clear to me when I take into account my inabilities and God’s supreme abilities. God is the best ever.(period) There is nothing else like him. He calls himself I AM THAT I AM in order to insure our awe (pick gaping jaw off of ground) at his infinite state of being. He was there before the foundation of the world. He is. We are. He is the Uncaused Cause. We only exist because he exists. The very notion of existence exists because he exists. Okay. You get the point.

It’s the end of time. You only got one shot at death. Jesus steps up to the plate.

He’s pinch hitting for me. Jesus is up to bat for me.

So when we win. (Revelation says so) I’m glad He gets the glory.

Because He deserves it. He hit the home-run I would never have been able to hit.

Like this:

This is a short 20 minute challenge I preached to the students at DCA today. If you have a few minutes please listen to it. I have also put below here the handout I refer to in the sermon for your benefit.

Disclaimer: I have a cold and I only had a 2 days to prepare for this because I was filling in for another teacher. But I trust it will still be a blessing to whomever hears it.

Sermon handout by Jordan Moody adapted from The Cross Centered Life by C. J. Mahaney